The whole capital was bathed in a thick fog. Strolling past the buildings, Gu Qiang felt that the city was gradually waking up.

Su Pharmacy was a famous brand in the capital.

Different from the Tong An Medicine Shop run by Gu Huaian, Su Pharmacy had a wider range of businesses with connections stretching everywhere. It sold not only medicine but also information.

The two girls stopped at Su Pharmacy in the alley. It was a three-storied building, with two red lanterns hanging above the entrance but a white seal stuck on the door. Apparently, this place had been abandoned after the Su Family got into trouble.

They climbed in through the window, which was made of thick wood, and then sensed something odd.

Nobody was at the counter, and closets for herb storage were also sealed up. But through the passageway at the back of the counter, they saw the shapes of some people.

Who would still wander in a place that had been sealed up already?

Gu Qiang and Gusu Liang looked each other in the eye, both finding it very curious. Then, Gusu Liang moved and led the way.

That was a big courtyard, with artificial hills and ponds, the water of which glistened under the morning sun. Hiding behind the door, Gu Qiang was so nervous that she felt her heartbeat as loud as the people talked. She had rarely done any eavesdropping before.

Gusu Liang gave Gu Qiang a look. There were too many people here. Gusu Liang could take them down if she was on her own, but not when she also needed to protect Gu Qiang.

Gu Qiang nodded; she didn’t want to be a drag on Gusu Liang.

Then Gusu Liang quickly threw a kind of ball in the yard, which exploded in the center of the ground and released a burst of smoke.

Like a cat, she jumped over rocks and fences around the pavilion, and then caught a man by grasping his clothes.

Having no idea about what had happened, people in the yard suddenly fell in great chaos, panicked and screaming.

As Gusu Liang hadn’t launched any direct attack upon them, the crowd gradually calmed down.

Gusu Liang walked in front of them, with the man stamped down at her foot. “What are you doing here?” she asked them coldly, sizing them up.

Apparently, that man was not the one in charge. Then, an old man stepped forward from the white-cloaked people, “Miss, why do you suddenly show up in our courtyard? This belongs to the Su Family. Nobody knows we are here,” he said.

This man looked around fifty years old, his face in peace as if he knew they would be discovered one day.

Gusu Liang let out a sneer, his hand pressing her knife on the neck of the man under her foot. “Then why are you here? This place has been sealed up! Are you having too many guts that you lose your mind?”

What happened in the Su Family was a tragedy. These people must be gathering here plotting something.

The old man still looked at Gusu Liang with great sincerity in his eyes, as if hoping that she would let go of all of them, who were obviously cooking drugs here and definitely were no match for any martial artists.

“We are here to avenge our lady. The imperial family has never taken the Su Family seriously. How could the Ninth Duke refuse a girl so outstanding as our lady?” snapped the old man. Apparently, he felt a bit of resentment with what Su Shuangning had suffered. Indeed, it was in human nature to focus on his own sufferings and ignore those of the others.

Gusu Liang nodded at his words, but then started to tremble as if she had thought of something horrible. “You mean the plague this time?” she asked nervously.

Last night, a new disease had swiftly raged across the entire capital, a huge disaster that nobody knew its cure. Was it done by them?

These people must have already noticed Gu Qiang’s existence at the back of the wall, but they chose to ignore her, nor were they afraid of being found out causing the plague, as they knew death was the only thing waiting for them ahead.

The old man’s eyes flickered, then the rest of them looked at each other, like plotting something. What they did next was something that Gu Qiang would never forget.

They drew out their swords and started to stab each other.

Blood was splashing everywhere, with screams echoing in the yard. For a moment, Gu Qiang thought the scary screams were the only thing that she could hear.

Gradually, the walls and the grounds were all soaked in blood, the smell of which made Gu Qiang’s eyes turn red.

This was not her fault. But somehow, she felt she was the cause of everything, including the fall of the Su Family, and the death of these people, who were merely servants.

After a long pause when everything became quiet, Gu Qiang moved into the yard step by step, carefully. The smell of the blood, broken limbs and smashed insides scattered across the grounds made her stomach roll like she was about to vomit.

And that’s what she did, leaning against the wall and vomiting.

Seeing all his families die right before his eyes, the man under Gusu Liang’s foot was caught in great shock, then he fell on the ground and cried, his voice so loud that could even startle the earth.

Gusu Liang quickly lifted her foot and held him up, her voice full of apology, “I am so…”

The man wiped his tears with his white sleeves, seeming to have no interest to blame her for this. He didn’t speak until after a long silence. “That’s the destiny of our family. Once we were found out doing this, we have to kill each other, because we have to die anyway.”

Hearing his words, Gusu Liang somehow felt quite relieved that she hadn’t killed him.

No matter how big a family was, it was only the members at the center that would march towards their goals, while those marginalized were only doing it for money, who would easily give up or compromise once found out there was nothing for them.

Once Shen Qianshan woke up, he would order a complete purge of the Su Family.

The man was dragged by Gusu Liang into a corner. He got out a pill from his pocket and put it in his mouth, then he heard Gusu Liang asking him, “We are here to look for some herbs. If you can find them for me, we will leave immediately.”

The man sneered, he looked up to Gusu Liang and then turned to Gu Qiang. Obviously, he knew Gu Qiang was the one giving orders.

“I know perfectly well who you are. You will definitely report this to the court, and kill us all, so the result won’t be any different. As for the herbs? Just take whatever you like.” While speaking, the man got out another flask from his pocket and poured the liquid into his mouth.

But that flask was knocked down to the ground by Gusu Liang in a flash. “You can’t die now. As there is no one left alive in your family, no one knows whether you live or not. You have to live your life for your own, don’t you?” she said to the man.

Finishing her words, Gusu Liang handed the prescription to that man.

Staring at the flask on the ground, the man fell into a long silence, then he smiled helplessly, got onto his feet, and moved into the front hall. After a while, he went back with some herbs in his hand. He gave them to Gusu Liang and wanted to leave.

After a careful examination, Gu Qiang gave Gusu Liang a look and went out of the pharmacy first.

The street was still nearly empty, with all shops shutting down. She could hear people groaning from some alleys nearby. The capital city seemed to be enveloped in a great shadow.

Gu Qiang felt something suddenly flash in her mind. It seemed this scene had appeared in her head many times, but she just couldn’t make out a clear picture of it no matter how she tried.

It was the memory she deeply buried, covered in dust. It kept upsetting her, making her couldn’t help yelling out.

Back in the Su Pharmacy, the man was staring at Gusu Liang, with his eyes full of astonishment. “What? What did you say?” he stammered.

“She is Infanta Luoping, and she thought it would be a pity if you had died. Why don’t you come to help her? You can make full use of your medical knowledge if you are with her. Isn’t it much better than death?” Gusu Liang tried to persuade him.

The man lowered his head. He knew what Gusu Liang meant. To live? That was something highly impossible last minute, but now, he cherished this opportunity much harder than anybody else.

Before he could say anything, they heard Gu Qiang screaming outside. Gusu Liang got a great shock and quickly ran out to the street, holding Gu Qiang in her arms.

Gu Qiang was clutching her hands on her head; the pain had made her can hardly breathe and she felt the world around her spinning. Had Gusu Liang not carried her up in time, she would have fallen onto the ground.

“My lady, what’s wrong with you?” Gusu Liang carried Gu Qiang to a teahouse nearby. After a short consideration, the man followed her inside. As Gusu Liang had said, all people from the Su Family were now gone, like shooting stars. But the chaos would be remembered in histories for years.

Humankind could always find a way to leave their marks in history, be it as small as a glance back or a smile, or as big as a war or plague.

After having some tea and several deep breaths, Gu Qiang finally felt a bit better. Then she noticed the man sitting right in her opposite, who was surveying her very carefully.

Seeing that she had calmed down, the man asked her quietly. “Have you lost your memory?”

That gave both Gu Qiang and Gusu Liang quite a shock, but they didn’t deny it. Then the man continued, in a tone full of worry, “If you really accept me, I think I might know how to improve your situation, my lady.”